


Everything Once

by ADashOfStarshine (ADashOfInsanity)



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Aphelios and Alune are Fledgling Gods, Blow Jobs, Drinking, Face-Fucking, Horns, Lunar Beast AU, M/M, Modeling, Multiple Orgasms, Ox Squad, Sex Magic, Spitroasting, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:34:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29448609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADashOfInsanity/pseuds/ADashOfStarshine
Summary: Aphelios arrived in the mortal world, expecting to fight a legendary beast in his father's name, and to then go home immediately after. What he certainly didn't anticipate was having to spend well over a month living as a celebrity in this year's Ox Squad. He and Alune swiftly realise that there is so much more to this world than they'd ever known and come up with their own New Years Resolution. To experience as much of the Mortal Realm as possible whilst they're here.To try everything once.(Darius/Aphelios/Jarvan. Lunar Beast AU.)
Relationships: Darius/Aphelios/Jarvan Lightshield IV
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48





	Everything Once

“Who ordered the _beef_?!”

Someone had made the mistake of handing Fiora the receipts for their lunch order. To the server’s credit, she had no idea which of the Ox squad was responsible for their finances, and Fiora did strike a commanding presence as she marched around their section of restaurant looking for any potential security issues. There were of course none. Besides, it seemed unlikely that anyone except restaurant staff were going to get through their barrier of thick plastic screens and heavily armed body guards. Aphelios understood the principle behind wanting to go to a local family-owned restaurant for their team meal. According to Jarvan, it showed the everyday folks of this city that their new celebrities shared some common interests with them – namely that they too enjoyed fresh local cooking. This apparently made them “relatable” which was an important quality for a famous person to have. Aphelios, who hadn’t been to a restaurant before, let alone been famous in one, had to trust that the others knew what they were talking about. Yet he couldn’t help but question how relatable it was that the Ox Squad had an entire section of the restaurant cordoned off for themselves away from the general public. If they wanted to prove to the general population that they were just like them, shouldn’t they be eating with them? Walking amongst them? Blending in? Were they really sharing their interests if they were merely seen and not interacted with? This celebrity lifestyle was sometimes truly baffling to Aphelios. He had come here expecting a fight. To battle with the Lunar Beast and then be sent home. Yet, Lunar New Year was still weeks away and he’d found himself doing, well, this…

“Nowhere does it say we can’t have beef,” Darius replied, pretty much owning up to the fact with his objection.

“Well, yes,” Fiora retorted, “But it’s the principle of the matter. We can’t have the Ox Squad seen eating beef! It’ll look blasphemous! You’ll inspire headlines like ‘Ox Oaf Consumes God’s Kin.’ ‘Beef-Eating Brute Embarrassment to Clan’ - It’ll be a PR nightmare!”

Darius merely rolled his eyes at her. 

“When have the Rooster Clan ever sworn off chicken?” he demanded, “Or the Pig Clan ever gone off pork? Get off my case, and let me enjoy my food, will you?”

Fiora made an expression like she’d just trodden on something foul in her expensive high heels. She click-clacked her way back to the table and thrust the receipt at Jarvan. He quickly pocketed it, no doubt for his expenses form later, as Fiora handed Annie her colouring sheet and crayons. Aphelios noticed that the large piece of paper was adorned with the black and white outline of a bull swimming across a river with a rat perched on its back. That old story again, he’d never asked if it was true, but then again, would his father ever admit to being outsmarted by a rodent?

“It’s not about what _they_ do,” Fiora informed the table, glaring at every one of them to make sure they were listening, “It’s about how we can be _better_. How we can prove our commitment to our God and our city unlike any other clan is capable. We must be perfect. We must be excellent in every way imaginable. And if that means swearing off such trifles as beef, as cheese, as ice cream…!”

“Aw,” Annie interrupted, her voice loud enough even to drown out Fiora’s impassioned ranting, “But I thought we were getting ice cream for pudding? Tibbers wanted a scoop with honeycomb.”

“We can still get ice cream,” Alistar assured her, “If you eat up all your lunch, we’ll get some on the way back.”

He turned to Fiora.

“Your enthusiasm is commendable,” he stated simply, “But in this case, you take it too far. The Bull God does not dictate what we eat. In fact I am sure He would prefer we are all content and well-fed before the coming battle.”

“I’m not going without a latte between now and New Years,” Miss Fortune added, seemingly wanting to get the last word in, “So don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”

As if in a last-ditch attempt to get someone to agree with her, Fiora turned to the twins who had been very still and quiet for the entire proceedings. Firstly, she looked at Aphelios. When Aphelios looked at the projection of his sister however, she focused her attention there.

“Nowhere in the Bull God’s teachings does it say we can’t eat beef or dairy,” Alune told the table, “If He didn’t want us to, then He would never have let us tame cattle or keep them in farms in the first place.”

Seemingly defeated, Fiora leant back in her chair, arms folded as she crossed one leg over the other in a pose of elegant frustration. Aphelios continued to look up at his sister, glad she’d been able to jump in with an answer so quickly. He still wasn’t used to these big social gatherings. At least in their free time it was just the pair of them in the emptier parts of the temple. Yet here, surrounded by situations he didn’t fully comprehend and arguments that didn’t need to happen… it was so much to get used to in so little time. It was a shame really that he had to be the one traveling whilst Alune remained in the inner sanctum. His sister had always been the more extroverted one, wanting to strike up a conversation with everyone she met, always eager to learn more about them and their ways. She loved this realm with its ever changing sights, sounds and smells. The fact she could wake up in the morning and find the sky had changed completely never ceased to delight her – often waking Aphelios up (whether he wanted to or not) so he could join her in marvelling at the dawn. She encouraged him to run around the temple courtyard in the rain. To help test the fireworks for the upcoming festivities. To go window shopping at every opportunity. Then there was the technology. Unleashing Alune upon the internet would perhaps change the force of history altogether. Especially if she kept correcting articles on Poropedia in her spare time. To her credit, she wasn’t revealing anything that their father had told them to keep secret. However she simply knew so much and finally had an outlet to unload it all onto unwitting mortals. Aphelios was grateful for both the existence of the internet and their holo-technology, allowing her so much to do whilst confined to the temple. She could see everything he saw, hear everything he heard, whilst accompanying him in projection form, and they could easily communicate. It was just a shame that she couldn’t actually be here, sitting in this restaurant with them, rather than having her order sent to her takeout style. 

“Alright everyone, photo op time,” Jarvan declared once everyone was settled around the table, “Let’s see those selfie faces. Can’t keep our fans waiting!”

There were mixed grumbles as everyone either took out their phones or posed for Jarvan’s. This was also something Aphelios couldn’t quite get used to. The need to take pictures of himself everywhere he went so the general public remembered he existed. He had been given his own phone, but he only really used it to organise meet ups with the rest of the Ox Squad. However, at least according to Jarvan who knew about these things, there was a whole world of people checking up on you and your pictures using their mobile phones. Despite Fiora’s insistence upon looking proper, it was in fact Jarvan who was in charge of their PR. He was something called a “Philanthropist” which apparently involved organising a lot of events and publicity stunts to raise money for charity. Therefore he had a very active “social media” following and took a lot of photographs of himself and the people he was with. Jarvan was also very good with money, having a lot of it which he used to organise his “galas” and “networking opportunities”, whatever those were. These two desirable qualities for promoting yourselves as celebrities seemed to be why he was chosen for the Ox Squad, in addition to being exceptionally skilled with a spear.

“Phel, our turn!” Alune prompted him as Jarvan turned his enormous high-tech phone in their direction.

“Alright, no time to be shy, both of you blow a kiss on three,” Jarvan told him, “One, two, three!”

Feeling foolish, Aphelios nevertheless did as he was told. As soon as the picture was taken, Alune was desperate to see the results. Jarvan sent the picture to her as the scent of cooking began to fill the cordoned off section of restaurant. She started telling him how amazing it was as Aphelios wondered if anyone back home would believe what they’d been up to. It seemed unlikely he’d be the one to tell them about it. Whilst Alune loved to chat with anyone and everyone, he just about managed to talk with the other gods and their children back home. Preferring to train in the peace of his father’s territory, he mostly kept to himself when not in the company of his sister. Yet doing that was impossible in this fast-paced world of lights, cameras and vehicles. As a member of the Ox Squad, he was escorted all over the city, encountering places and things he’d once had no idea even existed or what function they served. However he knew these situations were often once in a lifetime. Most of these things didn’t exist at home. Never again would he eat food off a conveyer belt or race in a hovering cart, or dress up in a swanky suit to go a bar on a boat. Every time he was faced with something new, Aphelios remembered what Alune had told him when they’d both realised how different the mortal realm was.

_“Let’s try everything once Phel, we might never get another chance!”_

Those words stuck with him like no others had. They returned to the forefront of his thoughts every time one of his squadmates suggested that he joined them for an activity. Always lingering in his thoughts was the fact that they had no idea if their father would ever allow them back to this world again. They had to take every opportunity they were presented with. As Alune put it, they needed to try everything once in case they never got the opportunity again. So Aphelios had, to the best of his abilities anyway.

The other members of the Ox Squad were very good at introducing him to new experiences. He played video games with Annie at arcades or on her handheld devices. Despite losing terribly every time, Aphelios nevertheless enjoyed the games. He and Annie would take her gaming machines to the temple and set them up there so Alune could join in. A few times they’d also managed to get other members of the squad into a four, or even five, player matches. Shortly after, Fiora had given him and Alune a tour of her house, which was clearly very prestigious and historic, before taking them out for tea and shopping. Whilst Jarvan was in charge of managing their finances, Fiora had the final word in how they presented themselves at PR events. This meant trying on dozens of jackets that looked more or less identical to Aphelios, but apparently had wildly different names and styles. Miss Fortune also liked to come along for their shopping trips, especially after she realised she was spending Jarvan’s money not hers. Aphelios’ head felt like it was still pounding from the roller disco she’d taken them all to. Thankfully, Aphelios was much better at rollerblading that he was at video games. By the end of the night, he was accepting Miss Fortune’s invitations to race her around the rink, up and down the various ramps, and he was even able to copy her leaps and spins. Apparently, that had done wonders for their PR – with pictures of them both demonstrating their acrobatic prowess. Darius and Alistar had spent most of the night sat at the side snacking whilst Jarvan chased Annie around the rink when she refused to go home for her bedtime.

Of course they had a few adult-only team building exercises, either because they were way past Annie’s bedtime or the activity wasn’t suitable for children. Alistar enrolled the rest of the squad in an art class about traditional brushwork, claiming it would soothe their nerves and hone their concentration skills for the task ahead. Aphelios enjoyed it. He was terrible. However he enjoyed it. Definitely more so than Jarvan’s idea of an adult team-bonding exercise. Jarvan decided to take them clubbing, and as he was the one with plentiful VIP passes, they let him choose the venue. Yet as soon as they got there, Alistar had taken one look at the entrance and immediately decided to call it a night. Confused at their leader’s reluctance, Aphelios had nevertheless followed the others in and up to the VIP Lounge. Immediately recognised as a favoured patron, Jarvan was swept up into a crowd of eager staff and fellow guests, all congratulating him on his new role in the Ox Squad. As Darius went to fetch the first round of drinks, Aphelios realised this club wasn’t just a space for people to all dance in the same place. In the main club below the VIP Lounge, visible through the glass wall of the room they were in, was an enormous stage with a catwalk. At first, Aphelios assumed there was live music, or perhaps this place doubled up as a theatre. However as Miss Fortune and Fiora said something about being here ‘on the wrong night’ and departed, Aphelios realised he was wrong too. He and Darius sat awkwardly in their little booth section together as a parade of scantily clad men walked onto the stage. Darius gave it about twenty minutes before draining his beer and leaving. Despite being steadily abandoned by his squad, Aphelios didn’t immediately go. Not because he didn’t want to, but due to the fact he wasn’t going to deny his sister this once in a life time opportunity. He sipped politely at his orange juice as she whooped and cheered at the men on the stage below. Aphelios couldn’t deny that their movements were somewhat mesmerising. Certainly he’d never seen dancing like that before and well, many of the men were very pleasant to look at. He stayed until what seemed like an intermission before leaving Jarvan to it – wherever Jarvan might be.

Out all the activities his squadmates had introduced him to, the one Aphelios felt most comfortable with was going to the gym. Shortly after he and Alune had arrived, Darius had caught him training on the front lawn of the temple. Deeming this a security issue, he had obtained Aphelios a membership card for the gym he personally used. Used to occasionally training around other godlings, Aphelios didn’t expect a gym to be all that different to training at home, just with more fancy machines. What he didn’t expect however was the weird culture that seemed to have built up in Darius’ gym. Firstly all the men were absolutely huge, just like Darius. Aphelios knew not to be intimidated by them, but even he looked small compared to these enormous people. They seemed to exist on protein bars and strangely flavoured powders whilst comparing their ‘gains’ whatever that meant. When Aphelios had first arrived in his new workout attire, they’d all stared and rolled their eyes at him. Aphelios was muscular, obviously so, but he wasn’t built like a brick wall. He ignored them, but the amount of tension and hostility every time he tried out a new machine or bench, was beginning to make him reconsider this as a training option. That was until Darius showed up at the same time as him one morning. He’d texted Darius to thank him for the membership, but he was concerned that the other guests didn’t want him there. Darius however merely strode over to where Aphelios was already lifting on what he’d dubbed the ‘Pull-Down’ machine. Darius took one look at Aphelios’ weights and declared to the entire room that he and Aphelios would be having a little contest. The hostile gym members instantly took this as a sign that Darius was about to put the newcomer in his place and crowded around.

Of course Darius did nothing of the sort. It was an honest contest of how much they could lift. One that Darius would certainly have won with ease, if Aphelios was a completely normal human. As it stood, he wasn’t. As their contest reaches its final rounds, he became increasingly worried that he was blowing his cover. Breaking his promise to his father to appear as a regular human. There were many exclamations of disbelief about how a guy that small could lift so much, but none of them accused him of being more than human. Perhaps he should’ve played down his strength, but Aphelios wasn’t one to let others doubt his physical prowess. It was the one thing he was good at after all! The contest itself ended in a draw, as they both failed to lift the final set of weights, however Darius clearly had got across the point he was making. He stood up and pointed one sweaty hand at Aphelios, who was taking a moment to down his water.

“You idiots think _I’d_ work with a guy who couldn’t pull his weight?” he demanded, “Because if you’ve got an issue with one of _my_ squad, then you’ve got an issue with _me_.”

After that display, no one had taken issue with Aphelios being there. In fact he was welcomed every morning when he turned up for his gym session. Aphelios had gained an immense amount of respect for Darius during that fateful session. He could have easily yelled at all those men to just shut up and leave Aphelios be. However, instead he’d given Aphelios a chance to prove himself to them all, at great personal effort on his part too. That competition had been one hell of a workout. Yet when Aphelios went to thank him after, all he said was:

“Don’t mention it. It’ll give them a good reminder that size aint everything. You were impressive.”

Feeling like he’d won Darius’ respect too that day, Aphelios knew he was going to miss all the Ox Squad once New Years’ was over. Thankfully they still had two weeks and the main event left to go. Plenty of time remained to try new things with his friends, no matter how temporary that friendship might have to be. For now though, they were going to have to join together to battle against the sheer amount of food that coming out of the kitchens and towards their table. They dug in as soon as the table was covered in plates full of delicious sights and smells. Roast meats, fragrant tofu and countless rice and noodle dishes were all served in beautifully painted tableware. Pastry-wrapped delicacies, many different dumplings and beautiful rainbows of grilled vegetables had been laid out on porcelain platters, taking up so much table space that other smaller tables were brought over. Alune groaned a little before remembering that she too had several plates on the way back to the temple. Aphelios merely offered a small silent prayer to their father before picking up his chopsticks. Where to even start? It all looked amazing. The urge to fill his mouth with as many noodles as possible was swiftly overcoming Aphelios, however he was never one to forget his table manners.

“How much did we spend?” Miss Fortune asked, “This looks like a banquet, a five-star banquet at that.”

“Don’t worry,” Annie chimed in, “You get to make all that money back with your bodies later.”

Jarvan began to choke on a dumpling, prompting Alistar to thump him solidly in the back. There was a slight crunch as Jarvan’s street-armour dented with the impact.

“Modelling,” Alistar told Annie softly, “They call it modelling. You’ll be modelling toys and they’ll be modelling fashion.”

“I know,” the youngest member of the squad replied, “On their bodies.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Aphelios had learned that another key part of being a celebrity was advertising. Companies would pay the Ox Squad huge amounts of money to get them to take photos with their products, sometimes even bringing them into studios for special photoshoots or to make videos. That was what they were going to be doing later this afternoon. Once they’d had their lunch and done some interacting with the general public, they were supposed to be splitting up to their various New Year themed modelling shoots. Annie was off to advertise toys and electronics with Alistar. Fiora and Miss Fortune were doing something involving lipstick, as far as Aphelios was aware. However they had said something about multiple shoots and how Fiora was going to stop Miss Fortune stealing one of the handbags. Aphelios wasn’t involved with what they were doing, so he wasn’t going to inquire further. Instead he was assigned to going to a multiple product shoot with Jarvan and Darius. Apparently, a luxury men’s grooming company had paired up with a brewery for a range of special Lunar New Year products. And they required Jarvan, Aphelios and Darius to advertise the products for them. Aphelios had done photoshoots already – mainly to advertise the squad themself, but he wasn’t sure why these modelling shoots were supposed to take the rest of the day. According to the team diary (organised by Jarvan, accessible to everyone), they were having a large lunch because the shoot would take them all the way through to ten at night. Possibly later if the shoot overran. Considering the temple closed around eight, Aphelios was hoping they would remember and let him back in. Whatever the case, he needed to focus on eating now in case they didn’t get a chance to have dinner.

The large meal left Aphelios feeling rather full and sleepy. Quite happy to let everyone else do the talking for him, he stood for photos outside, smiled at cameras and tried to look generally sociable for the proceedings of the publicity stunt. Alune disappeared when her food arrived at the temple, leaving him at the mercy of his squadmates. After what felt like many hours, but was probably only one, they were rescued from the crowds by a series of vehicles. Jarvan gestured him and Darius over to a stretch hover limo where a driver was already waiting to help them inside. This particular vehicle was already multiple cars long. With a sleek black exterior and tinted windows that didn’t allow anyone to peep through. However Aphelios wasn’t quite ready for the little set of golden steps that extended out from where the car hovered, about a foot off the ground, down to meet them.

“What the hell is this?” Darius asked as they got into the enormous vehicle.

This wasn’t a car. Aphelios had been in cars. Many different cars in fact, hovering and on the ground. This thing however, this… was this a bar on hover pads? It looked more like the night club they’d been to than any mode of transport Aphelios had taken. For one, you couldn’t see the driver. There was a dark glass screen, much like the windows, separating the driver’s compartment from the rest of the vehicle. The area they could see was fitted with rich red leather seating, as stuffed and soft as armchairs, with matching leather-covered armrests with cupholders. There was a large television screen mounted on the wall shared with the driver, which whilst currently off, but was bigger than any of the windows. In the centre of the car-lounge was a central table like a kitchen island, each side covered in glass-fronted cabinets full of food and beverages. The top of the table had bowls, fastened to the surface, full of tortilla chips, nuts and other salty snacks, beside the apparatus for making cocktails. Aphelios didn’t think he could eat anything after all that lunch, but that didn’t stop Jarvan taking the seat closest to the island bar and starting to open cabinets as the door closed behind them.

“Alright, who wants a drink?” he offered, “Got wine, beer, spirits, sweet, strong, old, you name it.”

Darius and Aphelios glanced at each other.

“Aren’t we going to work?” Darius asked, thankfully objecting before Aphelios had to.

“Yes, but it’s fun work,” Jarvan informed them, “So we can drink.”

Aphelios didn’t understand his logic.

“Besides it’s always easier to take your shirt off after you’ve had a few,” Jarvan added, “This shoot is basically going to be one big luxury pamper session, might as well make it a Boys’ Night. We’ll have fun!”

Darius sighed, loudly.

“Fine, I’m gonna need a drink to put up with your nonsense anyway. Hand me a beer.”

As Jarvan did so, Aphelios’ thoughts were reeling. They were going to be taking their shirts off? Not that Aphelios had anything to hide, but surely that was something you mentioned before you signed others up for a job? He wondered what would happen when Alune inevitably came back. She was going to have a fit when she realised Jarvan had signed Aphelios up for a topless photoshoot without them knowing. Not that Aphelios had any problem with it, but she had already said an angry no to having him in a shirtless calendar. Something about protecting him because he was often too shy to say no himself. Apparently, his quiet nature might mean her innocent little brother could be easily taken advantage of. Firstly, Aphelios knew perfectly well how to say ‘no’. Secondly, they were twins. Neither of them were the older sibling. Lastly, he didn’t particularly think of himself as innocent. And he hadn’t objected to the shirtless calendar either. That had been her problem. He was tempted to simply not tell her just to see what the experience was like.

“What is a Boys’ Night?” he asked Jarvan as he rummaged in the cabinet for his drink of choice.

“A Boys’ Night,” Jarvan repeated, as he pulled out a different type of beer, “Is when you get together with your mates, have drinks, food, play games, maybe watch sports or a movie. It’s all very chill, you dress comfortably, pyjamas are good for Boys Nights.”

“You wear pyjamas?” Darius commented, choosing a seat as hover limo shuddered around them, ready to set off.

“Well not for bed,” Jarvan told him with a slight grin, “But there’s social etiquette to pay attention to until everyone’s too inebriated to care.”

Darius merely huffed at that. Aphelios meanwhile thought a Boys’ Night sound rather nice. There was nothing objectionable about food, games and movies. But how was their modelling shoot going to be like that? Weren’t they going to spend the entire time posing with objects? He sat down as the limo started to drive and put his seatbelt on. Jarvan however didn’t seem to feel the need as he continued to fuss with the cabinet. Aphelios hoped the vehicle didn’t make any sudden stops.

“I personally like Boys’ Nights at the spa,” Jarvan continued, “Or after the spa. When everyone is feeling particularly happy and relaxed. Considering we’re advertising a luxury grooming products, I reckon this might be one of the more relaxing shoots we’ve done.”

“As long as we don’t end up smelling like floral shit for the rest of the week, I don’t really care how relaxing it is,” Darius muttered, “Never trusted those places – spas that is.”

“Well you should try one,” Jarvan told him, “At least get a massage at your fancy gym or whatever, your muscles will feel a world better for it.”

“I know what’s best for my muscles,” Darius replied. Aphelios was sensing a lot of animosity between his squad mates and he had no idea why. What was bothering Darius so much about spas and why was it unusual to wear pyjamas? He wore them all the time! So did Alune. Had they done something wrong? He saw pyjamas in the shops every time they went out too.

Jarvan rolled his eyes and merely ignored Darius.

“What are you having Aphelios? I can mix something up.”

Oh, right, drinks. One part of a Boys’ Night.

“Orange juice please,” Aphelios replied. Orange juice wasn’t his favourite drink but he’d learned that most places which served alcohol also had orange juice. Jarvan had evidently noticed this by now.

“Are you sure I can’t tempt you by making that orange juice a bit more exciting?” he offered with a patient smile, “I won’t be offended if you don’t like it.”

Try everything once, his brain told him. Besides, Alune wasn’t around him to judge him if the alcohol did have an effect. He was a large-ish man who had eaten a lot of food recently, so one drink couldn’t hurt, right?

“Ok, thank you,” Aphelios replied, “I’ll try what you suggest.”

He was presented with a weirdly shaped glass full of something that certainly looked like orange juice. Taking a sip, he found the drink to taste like orange flavoured candies but it left a slight burning sensation at the back of throat. Overall, it was quite pleasant.

“Thank you,” he said again, continuing to sip at his drink

“What did you give him?” Darius asked as Jarvan finally took a seat and strapped himself in, “Vodka?”

“Yes, but not as strong as I’d take it,” Jarvan replied, “Added some syrup too, a simple orange martini.”

Darius didn’t seem to have any comment on this. He merely settled back in his seat as their car slowed in traffic. Aphelios took out his phone and considered texting Alune. He didn’t really want her showing up at the shoot, but leaving her alone also made him feel bad. Surely being away for an afternoon and evening wasn’t too rude? She knew where he was – she had access to the team diary too. If in doubt, she had the ability to call through the holo-projectors mute function if it was an emergency. Still, he should probably text her and tell her that he’d be unavailable for a bit. The shoot would be his excuse and then he’d get to try all the drinks he wanted, plus she wouldn’t need to know he’d taken his shirt off.

“You texting your sister?” Darius asked as Aphelios sent her a message explaining that he was going to turn off his communicator for the photo shoot.

“Yes,” Aphelios replied, “So she won’t be showing up whilst we’re at the shoot. I would be grateful if you didn’t mention to her that I’d had an alcoholic drink. Or that we are going to take our shirts off for these photos.”

“Sure thing,” Jarvan said, “Not a word from me.”

“Is that a big sister thing or something your father makes you do?” Darius asked, “She should know, by your age, there’s no way of stopping your little bro from doing whatever the hell he wants,”

He sounded like he spoke from experience. Aphelios remembered that Darius had a younger brother from one of his newspaper profiles, however he’d never seen him.

“Those are an Alune thing,” he explained, “I don’t think our Father cares about things like that.”

“Do older siblings always try and police their younger siblings?” Jarvan asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“Not as adults,” Darius replied, “No point really. If they get into shit it’s their own damn fault. Not sure why your sis thinks you need to hold off the drink.”

Aphelios shrugged.

“I don’t know exactly, but she believes I’m not very socially able because I’m not as extroverted as she is. She also thinks I’m ‘innocent’ for some reason and she has to preserve that.”

“Weird. Just because you’re shier than she is?” Jarvan commented, “Do you think you’re innocent?”

Aphelios shook his head before having more orange drink. Now he was expecting the slight burning sensation it was getting better with every sip.

“Yeah, didn’t have that problem ever,” Darius stated, “Sure your sis has her heart in the right place, but she has to know you’ll want to let loose at some point.”

“I have hobbies that don’t involve her,” Aphelios informed them, “People I speak to, things I do, that I don’t feel the need to tell her about. I think she believes when she walks off I just train and wait for her to come back.”

“Having siblings sounds so odd,” Jarvan commented, “Like there’s someone there who thinks they know everything about you but often they don’t? And they try to rule your life based on those assumptions?”

“That’s a lot of it,” Aphelios agreed.

Darius, however, took a large swig of beer and huffed at Jarvan’s words.

“Only child?” he asked of Jarvan, “Figured as much.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jarvan retorted, “It’s not like I chose not to have siblings.”

“Obviously,” Darius replied, “But you’ve got an air of spoilt only child about you. That and the fact you’re a rich brat.”

“Hey,” Jarvan said, his tone was still pleasant but there was a definite note of irritation there, “Those were both things beyond my control. It’s not my fault I was born into money.”

“It’s your fault you act like it,” Darius told him, “Going about smelling like a perfume shop, wearing clothes worth more than the average guy makes in a month, and flashing around that damn phone all the time. Makes me sick.”

“That’s what people expect!” Jarvan replied, “I have to play my part so people stay interested in what I’m doing. That requires being fashionable! It’s called putting on a public face – I thought you might get that by now! It’s just work.”

There was a level of tension within the car now that was making Aphelios feel distinctly uncomfortable. Darius was glowering over his bottle at Jarvan whilst Jarvan was glaring straight back, leant back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other in a display of confidence. Darius sat up to his full and considerable height, meaning he now at least had a size advantage over the other man. Aphelios merely watched, not wanting to accidentally make things worse. Whilst Darius and Jarvan had never been exactly close before, they’d never argued like this. Most of Jarvan’s attempts to socialise with Darius ended up with him muttering, scowling, turning away or any combination of the three. Darius meanwhile didn’t really speak to Jarvan unless he had to for work reasons. So where had this hostility come from?

“Don’t talk to me about work,” he told Jarvan, “You’ve never done a day of real work in your life.”

“Oh?” Jarvan retorted, “What is ‘real work’ then?”

“Effort,” Darius replied, “Real actual labour, physical, mental, whatever, but something you’ve got to actually put a taxing amount of effort into. Something that leaves you feeling drained and aching at the end of the day. You know, like normal people experience with their normal jobs.”

“And all the events and fundraisers I work on?” Jarvan replied, “The project management, the financial organisation, the planning, the all-nighters, to raise money for hundreds of good causes? You think I’ve never felt drained, stressed, achy after going without time off for months? That it takes no effort to raise as much money for charity as I have whilst my father pisses around on his golf courses and does heck-all?!”

His voice rose as he mentioned his father. It was the first time Aphelios had ever heard him angry.

“So you’re your dad’s little tax relief monkey,” Darius spat, “That he dresses up and makes do tricks so everyone thinks your family is great.”

“Better than some _gorilla_ with such fragile masculinity he feels challenged by the existence of soap!” Jarvan proclaimed “Better than someone who terrifies the hell out of every poor stylist who tries to come near him with a brush. What, a little foundation going to make your dick shrink or something?!”

Darius tossed his now empty beer bottle at Jarvan, who merely caught it and dropped it into the bin where it belonged. Unimpressed, Darius continued:

“I’d rather be a gorilla than a narcissistic daddy’s boy with his own line of sex toys.”

“Those were to raise money for a men’s sexual health campaign,” Jarvan replied, “You could clearly do with one yourself to replace that high and mighty stick you’ve got up your arse. Or would showing a little empathy be too emasculating for you?”

Aphelios was now sat holding his knees. The bottle had missed one of his legs by a fraction of an inch and he really didn’t want to have glass removed from his body so close to having to take on the Lunar Beast. It seemed to him that Darius was mad at Jarvan for having money and now Jarvan was lashing out at Darius for having ideas about what was and wasn’t manly. Did they really need to have this argument? Now? Or ever? This was the opposite of everything he’d been told about team work and squad cohesion. What if one of them got so riled up they tried to leave the squad?

“Empathy?” Darius barked so loudly that Aphelios jumped in his seat, “What does a rich kid like you know about empathy? Where was your father and his millions when kids like Draven and I had to steal shit from dumpsters to live?”

“We’re supporting children from families like that all the time!” Jarvan exclaimed, “Millions every month going into just that! And how was I ever supposed to know about your plight growing up? You’re older than me! I would’ve been a small child back then. There’s literally nothing I could’ve done!”

“Fat cats like your lot pretend to care all the time,” Darius growled, getting up in his seat “But it’s all just for show!”

“It’s not!” Jarvan protested, rising to match him, “We’ve helped so many people. If you would just listen, I give you an explanation about everything-“

“Bullshit,” Darius interrupted, “Why don’t you go shove your ‘explanation’ where the sun don’t shine and-“

“I am trying to tell you about my work, you thick-headed lout!” Jarvan interrupted back.

This was getting ridiculous. They were just insulting each other now! They were going to achieve nothing but making each other angrier. Besides, Aphelios was getting the impression there was something deeper at fault here. Darius knew about what Jarvan did for work. And he knew how hard he worked both as a philanthropist, and to support the Ox Squad. They’d both been there for every meeting, even the boring ones that involved going over numbers. Jarvan meanwhile knew that Darius had a comfort threshold when it came to their celebrity grooming procedures and had always respected his boundaries up to that point. There was no reason why they should be insulting each other over work ethic and cosmetics. The matter of Darius’ childhood and Jarvan’s other charity work, Aphelios knew less about, but those two couldn’t have coincided. Jarvan was younger than Darius, he would never have been around to help him at that age. Darius seemed to be angry at the idea of rich people as a whole and was channelling that at Jarvan. There were plenty of good reasons to be angry at rich people, but maybe Jarvan wasn’t the right one to direct that rage at? Still, that didn’t answer the question of what had triggered all this. Why had Darius decided to pick a fight with Jarvan in the first place, about the fact he was an only child? Aphelios tried to shrink into his car seat as the pair flung insults at each other like two children having a tantrum. This… wasn’t what squadmates were supposed to do, was it?

 **“** Will you two just stop?!” Aphelios shouted, over the din of their bickering.

Both men immediately froze. He doubted they’d ever heard him be quite so loud before. To be honest, Aphelios couldn’t quite remember the last time he’d shouted.

“Think about what you’re doing,” Aphelios told them, setting down his empty glass so they could tell he was serious, “We’re supposed to be the Ox Clan’s finest. Their Squad, their team. Lashing out at each other like this isn’t going to help anyone. I don’t think anything you’ve told each other is going to change by yelling. So let’s just… sit down and talk calmly like the adults we are.”

To his great surprise, both men sat back down at his words. Ok, good start. Alune would be proud. Now what to say next?

“Right,” Aphelios told them, “Good. Let’s take deep breaths, and-and maybe think over all the things we said and whether we meant them. We know how hard everyone here works. We’ve seen that first hand and we’ve respected everyone’s boundaries and opinions up to this point. And I-I don’t think that should change now. So maybe…”

He wasn’t good at this counselling thing, so he decided to get to the point.

“Darius, can you share what was bothering you when we entered the car?” he asked, trying to keep his voice soft and as far from accusing as possible, “I think you started to vent in the wrong direction, and perhaps we should look at that first.”

Jarvan scowled but thankfully didn’t say anything. Darius however gave a long sigh and turned his attention to Aphelios. It was clear from Darius’ expression there was no anger directed at him. He’d clearly gained enough of Darius’ respect not to be shouted at, for which Aphelios was grateful. He considered Aphelios for a moment, his expression slowly turning from an angry grimace to a look of great weariness.

“It’s,” he began slowly, “It’s just all this.”

He waved one hand at the limo’s exterior.

“This celebrity stuff,” Darius continued, “Spending a fortune on food, wearing designer gear, being showered with free stuff, getting paid a fortune by luxury designer brands. All for one night of fighting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a chance I’d take again in a heartbeat but… it’s a lot.”

Aphelios nodded sympathetically. It truly was a lot to get used to.

“Compared to what we had when we were little,” Darius stated, “Compared to building up my own company, working day and night to give myself the life I have now. I can remember scraping by, saving up pocket change in the hopes of something better coming along eventually. And it did, out of my own hard work and personal sacrifice. But now I’m just being handed all this rich person stuff for free? Clothes and gear and more food than I can ever eat? People just give this stuff away because you appear on the front of magazines? It feels weird and wrong and…unfair almost. I know I worked hard to get here, to get recognised by the Temple and put on the Ox Squad. But I’m not some aristocrat who can just… get used to this.”

He leant forwards to grab himself another bottle from the cabinet, not looking at either of them.

“Thank you for sharing,” Aphelios told him, making sure he remembered to smile. Alune frequently reminded him that smiling helped. 

“No problem,” Darius muttered, now sounding slightly embarrassed, “You’ve got a sort of face that’s easy to talk to.”

Taking that as a compliment, Aphelios turned to look pointedly at Jarvan, indicating this would be a good time to return Darius’ honesty with some of his own. Jarvan swallowed heavily before attempting to speak to Darius, despite the fact that he still wasn’t looking in his direction.

“To be honest, this isn’t normal, even if you did grow up around this culture,” Jarvan managed, “It is a lot. Excessive really. And believe me, I know there’s people out there who deserve support much more than we do right now. That’s why, if you have the influence, the money, you should be using it to make sure help gets to the right people. And the Ox Squad aren’t just a set of pretty faces on a magazine. We’ve been auctioning off a ton of the stuff companies keep giving us, all for charity, all for people who need the aid we can deliver to them. By enduring this celebrity nonsense, you’re giving to the people in the same place you were. Every perfume ad and ridiculous party we do assists another group of people who won’t have to scrape by for much longer.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Darius acknowledged, “But, it got the better of me. It shouldn’t have and it especially shouldn’t have turned to pointless rage.”

“Yes, I… think we’re all rather tired and overwhelmed right now,” Jarvan replied, “Every time we do something ‘relaxing’ or ‘fun’, it’s just more work, another PR stunt. When did any of us last do something just for ourselves?”

Aphelios, who rarely did anything for himself bar train, just shrugged. Going to the gym wasn’t a squad activity, but he could hardly call it relaxing. It was as much a daily ritual as brushing his teeth – not something to take pleasure in. He missed napping in the fields in his father’s territory. Or watching what chaos the other godlings got into from afar.

“Gods know,” Darius sighed, “When this is all over, we got to find a way to really let loose.”

“No cameras, no hair and make-up, no paperwork,” Jarvan listed, counting off responsibilities on his fingers, “Preferably no uncomfortable uniform either.”

“I miss sweatpants,” Darius confessed.

“Gods, yes, sweatpants…” Jarvan sighed, dreamily.

There was something he was evidently missing here.

“What are sweatpants?” asked Aphelios.

They both stared at him in mutual shock. Well, it was better than mutual rage so Aphelios felt like he’d done a good job of defusing the situation. He’d got Darius to talk about his problems and everyone was back to agreeing and relating with each other’s problems. Perfect!

“We’ll buy you a pair next time we’re out,” Jarvan promised him, “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

For now however, he simply fetched Aphelios another drink – this time a fizzy one in a bottle. Many drinks were consumed over the next hour and three quarters as the limo tried to wend its way through the packed traffic of the city. The atmosphere inside the car seemed to be amiable, even though they got stuck in queue after queue. They weren’t without means to entertainment themselves over the wait – with each other for company, their phones on hand and plenty of films to watch if they wanted to. Mostly, however, they browsed their phones or talked.

“Are you sure you can’t you tell us anything more about your family?” Jarvan asked Aphelios after a brief chat about the fact Darius had bought his brother on holiday so he ‘wouldn’t screw anything up’ during the festive period.

“I can’t,” Aphelios told him, “That was the first and most important rule Alune and I were given.”

“So your Dad, he’s ok with all the weird theories flying around?” Darius asked, “About where you two came from?”

Aphelios shrugged. He’d seen a bit of theorising in the papers – something about the twins belonging to a super-secret cult-like aspect to the Ox Clan was kept hidden from public view. According to Alune, the theories got even wilder online, but he hadn’t paid them any mind. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt for keeping the information from his squadmates. As a general rule, he tried to act as honestly as possible. The whole ‘having to hide what they were’ thing became quite grating. On one hand, having the actual children of their god would look really impressive for the Ox Clan. On the other hand, the interviews after that reveal would be terrible.

“We haven’t spoken with him since we got here,” Aphelios replied, “We’re assuming no news is good news.”

“Kind of the hands-off type unless it affects him directly or his reputation?” Jarvan inquired, “I know the type.”

“Mostly,” Aphelios agreed, “We believe he cares for us, but in his own particular way.”

“Yeah, that tends to be how it is,” Jarvan sighed.

There was a moment of relative quiet except for a car honking outside on the road. Aphelios fiddled with his bottle cap as the others started on the snacks. He wasn’t sure how they could eat so soon after that lunch.

“Y’know, Fortune believes you two are part of some big crime family,” Darius pointed out, breaking the silence, “That’s why you can’t name names. And why Alune does all the talking for the pair of you. She’s the one with the authority.”

Aphelios blinked at him. Criminals? Them?

“Really?” he replied, “That’s…not the case at all.”

“Yeah, didn’t think so,” Darius stated, “But we’ve all got theories.”

This should be fun. Of course he couldn’t affirm or deny anything, but it sounded interesting to hear what they’d come up with. What kind of hints had he and Alune unconsciously given? What kind of people did his teammates think they were just from observing how they acted every day? He knew they had a group chat where they talked about what Alune and Aphelios’ deal might be. Alune had managed to get in without their noticing. They liked to have a good laugh about some of the crazier ideas. Usually when his teammates tried to get answers out of them, he and Alune were together. He left Alune to deflect their questions, just like he defaulted to her in most conversations as she was the clever one. Yet now… now he could say what he wanted without feeling Alune could do it better. He could create his own fun.

“What theories do you have?” Aphelios asked the pair of them, “Can you tell me?”

Darius and Jarvan glanced at each other.

“You first,” Darius said, “Mine might be a bit more…outlandish than yours.”

Jarvan sat up a little, gaze now fixed on Aphelios’ neutral expression as if trying to glean even the tiniest reaction to what he was about to say. Aphelios didn’t think they’d get close to the real thing, so saw no danger in it.

“Well, I think there is some secret side to clan that most don’t know about,” Jarvan claimed, “Not necessarily a cult. More likely financially relevant, some sort of organisation within the Bull God’s temple that keeps everything working within the clan. You and Alune are the heirs to someone big and important and if that got out, then the leadership of the clan might come under threat. Therefore you have to keep your backgrounds hushed.”

There was a form of leadership within the temple, but Aphelios was definitely not part of it. Jarvan had got one thing right, they were the heirs to someone big and important, not that they ever thought they might inherit anything. However if he confessed to that, Jarvan would immediately start pulling on his considerable number of contacts to work out exactly who he was related to. He settled for smiling to show he appreciated Jarvan’s attempt. This only made the other men in the car laugh.

“You’re not going to tell us if we’re right about anything, are you?” Jarvan continued, “You’re just going to sit there being all mysterious.”

“Pretty much,” Aphelios said, with a small chuckle, “I like listening to your ideas though.”

“Tease,” Jarvan told him, though he seemed to be taking it in good jest.

“Well my theory’s a bit more on the religion side,” Darius told them, “I reckon your dad’s trying to hide you two away ‘cause he doesn’t want others bothering him for what you two got.”

Oh? What did he mean by that?

“I’m not saying you two wouldn’t be skilled without it,” Darius continued, “But Alune’s unnaturally smart, that woman takes one look at you and seems to know everything about you and what you’re up to for the next two weeks.”

Aphelios certainly laughed at that, though he smothered the sound slightly beneath his hand, too used to Alune hearing his every sound.

“And then there’s you,” Darius continued, “You got the strength, the agility, the reflexes of several world-class athletes rolled into one. Someone of your height, weight, body type, there’s no way you should be able to lift the amount you do. So what I’m saying is your dad got you both blessed by the Bull God and he doesn’t want the press hounding your family to find out how he did it.”

“That would explain why you’re both so devout,” Jarvan added. They were both staring intently at him now. Admittedly, this was the closest anyone had got to the truth so far, even after he’d been in this world for a month. Both he and Alune did have abilities that, if they were human, would be considered almost supernatural, or at least superhuman. Most of what they could do wasn’t special according to their fellow godlings, but down here… They at least seemed worth commenting on. Now he dearly wanted to tell Darius how close he’d got. However he wasn’t prepared to bring down his father’s wrath upon himself – not when he still had a few weeks left of being able to experience the mortal realm. However, that didn’t mean he had to stop being enigmatic.

“You’re not entirely right,” he told Darius, still with that same soft smile, “But you’re not entirely wrong either.”

Jarvan audibly gasped. Darius’ eyes widened. Aphelios had the distinct impression that Darius’ theory was going to be debated all over the group chat when they got back from this shoot. Hopefully the excitement of getting such a small hint would die down by then. Perhaps it might fade before they even got where they were going. According to Jarvan it was only meant to take them an hour to cross the city to their destination. Yet the state of the roads, with its chock-a-block traffic, brought them to the block of brand-new luxury apartments well over the two-hour mark. 

The limo pulled up outside a pair of golden gates decorated with wrought iron flowers. They glimpsed their driver getting out to punch a code into the keypad, before they were allowed to drive inside. Once they were parked and permitted to exist the limo, Aphelios couldn’t help but notice that most of the lights in the five-storey block of flights were unlit. Only the bottom and topmost floors were illuminated with a soft cream coloured glow. He was about to ask about it when he spotted a large sign on the gravel path leading up to the entrance, advertising show homes to look round. It looked like people didn’t live in these yet and the shoot was happening in a yet-unoccupied home. Right beside the entrance were two large black vans marked with identical branding – an ox’s head facing forwards breathing plumes of steam through its nose, framed within an octagon.

“I understand oxen are the big thing right now,” Darius commented as they approached the entrance, “But why for a men’s grooming company?”

For once, Aphelios thought he understood this.

“In many cultures, bulls are regarded as a symbol of male virility,” he replied, “They can represent masculinity, strength, stamina, sex drive, the sorts of things that the advertisers might want you to associate with their brand.”

“Yeah, he got it in one,” Jarvan said, sounding a little surprised, “This brand sells itself hugely on sex appeal – making the buyer think they’ll be more attractive if they use it.”

No sooner were they inside the apartment building, then they were accosted by a throng of people with clipboards. Led into an elevator, they were hastily taken to the top floor where the sets had already been prepared for them in the largest of the apartments. They were already over an hour late, so it appeared there was no time for standing around listening to explanations. They were briefed on what they were going to be doing, whilst they changed into the outfits the modelling experts had prepared for them, and continued to be lectured throughout hair and make-up. They were allowed a brief five minutes to compose themselves, in which Darius took Jarvan aside. Aphelios hoped they were apologising to each other, but decided not to pry. Whatever they did, they were shouted to get back to the shoot as soon as that five minutes were up. It certainly wasn’t the relaxed atmosphere Jarvan had anticipated. But then again, Aphelios wasn’t sure he could be relaxed given what situation he’d found himself in.

For the first set of photographs and videos, they were shirtless with formal black trousers and shiny dress shoes. Darius had a fancy belt to wear with a golden bull head for a buckle whilst Jarvan had a matching watch of the same design and metal. Aphelios meanwhile was given a pair of gold earrings with the bull’s head and he had to admit he quite liked them. They were a bit heavy and ostentatious but the metalwork was amazingly intricate and they suited the Ox Squad perfectly. In these attires they posed in a sleek looking lounge on black leather couches. Holding or drinking from glasses of liquor whilst looking dashingly thoughtful or brooding as the case may be. The crew played around with the lightning to reflect off their chests - which they’d been asked to rub with lotion to make them shinier. There was something undeniably appealing about watching the warm lamplight glint off the muscular chest of a very large and attractive man. Both his squad mates were particularly handsome men, there was no denying that. He’d probably seen them both without shirts before, but not framed in such a luxurious setting, in such a sensual light… In fact this was getting to Aphelios more than he could bring himself to admit. He could blame the really strong alcohol they were giving him to drink. However, it was also very difficult to deny the way the photographers were posing them, with glasses at crotch height, with angles of light pointing suggestively downwards, like an arrow down to their… Sometimes Aphelios had to tear his gaze away before he started ogling. Yet even the shots that didn’t focus on their crotches were swiftly becoming too much to bear. The ones of them leaning over the back of the chair as if inviting the viewer to sit with them. The photos where they put their fingers near their mouths as if licking something off of them… Jarvan had said this company liked to rely on sex appeal. But this… this was brazen. Whilst they weren’t doing anything explicitly lewd, he surely wasn’t imagining the erotic note to even the slightest details of this shoot, right? Right! He couldn’t be the only one getting a little hot under the metaphorical collar about how risqué this all looked?!

After the session in the lounge set, they moved to a huge balcony overlooking the city skyline. They were photographed framed by the city lights as afternoon had long turned to evening, and evening was almost night. That set was for showing off bottles of fragrance - black and red with golden horns on the lids. The chill outside definitely tampered Aphelios’ flushed feeling for a bit, but the reprieve certainly wasn’t long enough. The next part of the shoot required them to undress further, pose for more photos and videos with the grooming products - soaps, body lotions, shaving foam, razors, moisturisers…all in the same range as the aftershave they’d just displayed. They were asked to each change into a pair of tight black boxer shorts and go through hair, make up and lotion again. Aphelios did his very best not to look at his friends whilst they had oils rubbed into their muscular torsos, but it was so hard not to look once the next shoot began. How was he supposed to feel watching two hot men do take after take of caressing themselves with various lotions and bathing accessories? How was he supposed to think when they cupped their pecs and angled themselves so their oiled abs caught the light? Of course he did those things too, but he didn’t have to watch that. Whilst he was applying moisturiser on his face, he didn’t have to look at his squadmates’ gorgeous boxer-clad bodies. Whilst he was in the spotlight there was no need to observe how both Jarvan and Darius were clearly more well-endowed than he was, even as a hint through their shorts. He was so grateful when it was his turn that he didn’t even think to be embarrassed by the weird posing he was directed through.

His friends were watching him too though. Both Jarvan and Darius watched as he attempted to smoulder at the camera like they did, every time he felt himself up in the guise of cleanliness. Each time he came off set, Jarvan would clap him on the shoulder and say something like; “you did great, keep it up” or “nice work” or “you smashed it well done.” Aphelios appreciated the support, but the physical contact and positive reinforcement were not helping his situation at all. In fact the praise was getting to him almost as much as the attractiveness of what he was seeing. Compliments were a weakness of his, he’d never been able to deny that. When you spent most of your time alone, meditating, training, having someone there, openly appreciating your virtues, praising you…wanting you? It was even more intoxicating than all the weird drinks he’d been given today. Jarvan was supplying him with no end of compliments and it was just… just going straight where Aphelios didn’t need those thoughts to.

When Aphelios switched over with Darius, so the guy with the most chest hair could promote the razors, Jarvan took things even further. He put his arm around Aphelios’ shoulders whispering, so not to interrupt the recording:

“Looking gorgeous up there Aphelios.”

Aphelios felt the rush of heat to his face and his nether regions as he struggled to regain his composure. He stifled his groan to mixed success, however Jarvan had clearly noticed for his playful smile faltered for a look of concern. He gently steered Aphelios aside, arm still around his shoulders. Needless to say this wasn’t the distraction Aphelios needed. Being alone with an almost naked Jarvan was not helping where his thoughts had gone or where they might be going. He didn’t need to see him this up close! It was only going to make things worse!

“Are you ok?” Jarvan asked, “You feeling overwhelmed by the shoot?”

“Yes,” Aphelios confessed before he could stop himself, “I mean no, or kind of. I’m fine. Physically. Just distracted is all.”

Jarvan appeared to consider him for a moment before murmuring:

“I‘ve found it helps to think about an older relative being nude.”

“Pardon?” Aphelios was momentarily thrown by his statement.

“To stave off arousal,” Jarvan elaborated, “Think about someone you’d never want to see nude being so.”

Aphelios’ eyes widened with mounting horror.

“Am I really that obvious?” he asked. Jarvan gave a slight chuckle as glanced back towards the shooting area.

“Not _really_ obvious, don’t worry,” Jarvan assured him “I caught you giving us a few very longing looks earlier, but it was mostly a guess on my part until I called you gorgeous. Then the look in your eyes and the nice shade of pink you went proved it.”

Damn it! Aphelios groaned, resisting the urge to hide his face in his hands. He had to say something before he ruined their friendship forever!

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly , “I can only apologise for being inappropriate around the both of you, I understand if you want me to-“

“The feeling’s mutual,” Jarvan cut in.

“Lea- what?” Aphelios stared at him. What did he just say? Was he apologetic too or did he mean…?

“You and Darius are extremely attractive guys, in your own ways,” Jarvan confessed, “The way they’re having us rub ourselves is pure sin and these shorts… they’re not as roomy as they should be.”

Aphelios used all his will power not to look down. Jarvan clearly was using no such restraint for he was blatantly glancing at the blush now dusting Aphelios’ chest.

“Been imagining a lot of unpleasant things to keep matters under control,” Jarvan continued, “But every time I look up there’s Darius looking like the front page of a Men’s Fitness magazine and you… you looking like something out of a dream.”

Too much praise! Too much…too much everything! It had been a while since he’d been in such close proximity to someone who was well...interested in him like this. He certainly hadn’t been so up close and personal with anyone whilst in this world, not even himself considering he had to share a room with Alune. Aphelios couldn’t really blame his heart for racing as Jarvan gently touched his cheek, immediately drawing Aphelios’ gaze to his. As their eyes met, Aphelios couldn’t help but think how this looked- two almost naked men sequestered off in a corner, one caressing the other so they addressed the smoulder in the other’s eyes.

“You know, if the temple’s closed, you could always come back to mine for the night,” Jarvan suggested, “I can show you around the place, make sure you’re comfortable.”

Was he offering a tour or was he offering sex? Aphelios wasn’t sure because his words said tour but his tone said sex. Either were perfectly fine but at the moment he’d definitely prefer the latter. He wasn’t sure if sleeping with your squad was strictly professional but he was here to try everything once. So why not? Why shouldn’t he?

“I’d like that,” he replied, trying to sound equally as suggestive as Jarvan was, “You can show me all there is to see.”

He allowed himself a brief look down Jarvan’s oiled and muscular torso, straight down to the hem of his black boxers, which were indeed a little on the tight side. Jarvan grinned, it was a charming confident grin like the others he wore but, in some way, this one was irrefutably different.

“Well, I’ll make sure to give you a thorough-“

Whatever Jarvan was promising to give him was promptly interrupted by Darius striding across the room and calling out:

“Oi, you two better not be making out over there!”

He’d evidently meant it as some sort of joke, but as soon as he got within earshot, Jarvan made a very pointed act out of replying:

“What? Would you get jealous?”

Darius spluttered slightly.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice becoming a little gruffer as he was clearly flustered by the suggestive note to Jarvan’s voice.

“Well, since you asked,” Jarvan continued, “I was inviting Aphelios back to my place after we’re all done here. You’re more than welcome to come join us.”

Darius looked Jarvan and Aphelios as if he doubted they were all on the same page here. Aphelios decided to show him that he, at least, was.

“It’s been a long day,” he added, “And a very taxing evening. Surely, we all have some frustrations to release? Some pent-up feelings to work through?”

“Exactly,” Jarvan agreed with that same smug grin, “One night to let loose after the stress of all this work, just like we imagined earlier.”

Darius considered them for a moment. He frowned, before lowering his voice down to a gruff murmur:

“You two are talking about screwing, aren’t you?”

They both nodded, much to Aphelios’ relief. It would’ve been so embarrassing if Jarvan had just been talking about a tour after all.

“Alright,” Darius sighed, “Count me in. Do you know how you two look up there? I keep having to think about Draven naked and I don’t know what’s worse, that, or getting hard in front of those people.”

He jerked over a thumb back over his shoulder at the modelling crew.

Somehow knowing there was some relief ahead made the rest of the shoot more bearable. The knowledge that his attraction was mutual, that he wasn’t the only one secretly enjoying the view, was an immense relief compared to how he’d felt previously. It was also somewhat comforting that he wasn’t the only one struggling. The fact that both Jarvan and Darius had been imagining their relatives naked was rather amusing. Aphelios had bathed with Alune enough that he wasn’t disgusted by the thought of her undressing. His father was a giant magical bull deity so that didn’t really work either. Thankfully the liquor the company had brought with them tasted absolutely disgusting – burning the back of his throat far more than the drinks he’d had in the car. After realising they were allowed to drink everything the staff had brought with them, all three members of the Ox Squad turned to hard liquor to ease the awkwardness of the situation. Arousal wasn’t exactly something Aphelios had needed to hide that often. Back home, if he really wished to mess around with someone, he had no lack of volunteers. In fact he’d had partners queuing on multiple occasions. Yet now, now his awkward thoughts were quickly being replaced with a sense of mounting anticipation. Whilst this wouldn’t be his first threesome, he had no idea if sex was going to be different in this world. Whether it was going to feel the same, or weird – there was only way for him to find out. He wondered how the rest of the Ox Squad might feel knowing what the three of them had got up to. Two squadmates sleeping together sounded taboo, three though, three just sounded like a team building exercise. There was nothing in their contracts that said they couldn’t have sex. Try everything once! Wasn’t that his self-appointed mission until the night of the festival itself?

Midnight came just as the shoot ended. They piled back into the designated changing room with their stomachs rumbling. There was only one shower head in the wet room, but by that point, they’d seen enough of each other that they stood together and simply took turns getting drenched to free themselves of the copious amount of product that had been applied to them. Either everyone was too exhausted to care, or the anticipation of what lay ahead meant that no one was being particularly modest. As they begun to dry off and change back into their regular uniform, Jarvan paused to call his driver asking her to pick up pizzas on the way to getting them. Foolishly turning his back on the two tipsy men he had corralled into coming home with him. 

“Yeah, make that three large stuffed crust pizzas, and two sides of chicken wings and a-ALP!”

He let out a strangled yelp as Darius took aim at his backside with his sodden boxer shorts, snapping the stretchy fabric like the ping of elastic. Aphelios, who had been silently watching Darius sneak up on him, started laughing as Jarvan tried and failed to hold onto both phone and towel. Successfully keeping his phone pressed to his face, his towel however was now crumpled around his ankles. He shot an amused half-glare over his shoulders.

“Sorry, drinks for three. Put it on the company card. Thank you. Send me a message once you’ve got through the gates, we’ll– LEAVE MY ASS ALONE?”

Aphelios gave him an innocent look, despite having followed Darius’ example with the shorts left over from the shoot. Jarvan thanked and apologised to his driver before turning on them. He put his phone down on a nearby chair before picking up his own leftover shorts. He did not pick up his towel.

“Alright, who wants a spanking?”

What followed was a frankly immature chase around the changing room as Jarvan tried to enact his revenge on his laughing companions. No one was getting dressed very fast, but neither did they care. Aphelios almost slipped on the tiled floor, caught up in his own undershirt, as it tangled itself around his ankles. Tumbling with far less grace than usual, but he was caught and pinned against the wall by Darius, who stared down at him, from his face, down Aphelios’ bare chest and towards the unbuckled fastening of his trousers. Aphelios smiled mischievously up at him, wiggling one hand free so he could gently lay his palm on one of the pecs he’d admired so much over the course of the afternoon. Leaning in a little closer, he raised himself onto his tiptoes as Darius’ expression became decidedly _hungry._

“You’ll ruin your dinner,” Aphelios teased him, murmuring against the armour at his chin, “Though I can’t say I mind.”

Darius smirked, leaning in for the kiss that Aphelios was certainly angling for, before…

_Thwack!_

Darius jerked forwards as Jarvan finally landed his mark. Darius was already wearing trousers so perhaps the blow wasn’t as satisfying, but Jarvan certainly considered it a triumph. He put a hand on each of their shoulders and began to pry them apart.

“I hope you two aren’t starting without your generous host,” he said with a chuckle, “Come on. We need to get dressed before the car gets here.”

Unfortunately, he had a point. Also the rest of the apartment was still filled with brand representatives, modelling company agents and an army of stylists and photographers. They really shouldn’t get up much here if they didn’t want the internet awash with scandal about the Ox Squad.

“I hope we don’t wake up tomorrow to find those company people have tattled on us,” Darius commented as they sat in the car, “At least one of them must’ve heard us.”

“Oh nothing will get out,” Jarvan assured him, “We pay good money to the press to make sure nothing like that ever sees print.”

What? Aphelios swallowed a mouthful of pizza as he tried to get his head around what Jarvan had just said. They were constantly trying to look good in front of the press, making sure they didn’t do anything that might be considered ‘dishonourable’ or ‘bad for the clan’s reputation’. Why were they policing themselves if Jarvan was paying the press to censor that stuff?

“Not all of it,” Jarvan carried on, over his bucket of chicken wings, “That’s against the law. However we need to give our squad some sense of personal freedom, especially when it comes to their private lives.”

He turned to Darius, sucking barbeque sauce off his fingertips.

“Haven’t you wondered why none of your little liaisons with that Rooster Clan have ended up in the press?”

Darius almost choked on his pizza, managing to force it down with a large gulp of drink.

“That’s-that’s a strictly professional relationship,” he spluttered, “I provide security services for Lord Swain’s premises, nothing more.”

“Do your security services usually include unlimited access to your dick?” Jarvan replied, sounding highly amused, “If they do, I might have some work for you back at-“

“Ok, fine,” Darius interrupted, “How do you even know about that?”

“I’ve been told Lord Swain has a glass-walled office,” Jarvan explained, “You wouldn’t believe the stories his secretary likes to tell the press. None of which have been published, because of the arrangement I set up.” 

Darius groaned.

“Well, thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome.”

The presence of food had certainly calmed everyone down. Perhaps sobering them up a little as they made the long journey back through the city. Yet Aphelios was certain he felt a definite shift in the atmosphere as the car finally slowed to a halt outside another incredibly expensive looking apartment building – this one set into its own expansive grounds complete with flood-lit tennis courts and an outdoor pool. Aphelios tried to gather up their rubbish as they left the car. However Jarvan quickly lifted the boxes out of his arms and promptly put them back in the car again, stating he had people to do that for them. A little embarrassed, Aphelios let Jarvan put an arm round him and steer him towards the gleaming golden elevator that stood at the far end of the building’s lavish marble floored reception.

A few minutes later, they were entering Jarvan’s penthouse.

“Expected as much,” Darius commented as they took their shoes off and placed them on the rack by the door.

Even without all the lights on, Aphelios could tell this place was huge. They passed door after door, each neatly labelled with a brassy plague engraved with the room’s purpose from ‘Maintenance Closet” to “Guest Dining Room”. The lights flickered on and off as they moved through the house, tracking their motion and welcoming them with a warm glow that wasn’t too harsh after the brightness of the lobby. The carpet beneath Aphelios’ feet was so soft and deep it was like constantly treading on a fur rug. He couldn’t help but watch how his toes disappeared into the pile, when he could tear his gaze from the man leading them through his house. Jarvan wasn’t saying much. He pointed out a bathroom in case they needed it but there was now a slight air of impatience coming from the men either side of Aphelios. He got the impression that now they were here, everyone was eager to get started. The pizza had been a good distraction, but after an entire afternoon, evening and night of repressing their desires, it was finally time to indulge in what they really wanted. Namely, each other. 

“Mood lighting,” Jarvan announced to the room, as he finally chose a door and led them inside. Lit up in soft red, oranges and purples, his bedroom was bright enough to see but dim enough to feel warm and cosy. Darius shook his head at this extravagance but it seemed to go unnoticed by their host. Jarvan’s bedroom was enormous, with an entire lounge area off to one side and two more doors leading off to goodness knows where. His bed was bigger than any Aphelios had seen before, large enough to accommodate an entire family. Did he have all that room to himself? What did you do with the space? Aphelios’ brain quickly came up with the answer all by itself. What you did was invite two other men to share that space with you.

“Does anyone have any dos or don’ts that we should all know about,” Jarvan stated as he began to remove his jacket. Quick glances around the room showed no one was about to speak up.

“Alright then,” Jarvan continued, “You’ve both seen me naked, time to return the favour.”

“Who put you in charge?” Darius asked.

“My home, my bedroom,” Jarvan reminded him smugly. He sat on the end of his bed; one leg crossed over the other as if expecting to just sit back and watch them undress. As if they were supposed to put on a show for him. Aphelios raised an eyebrow at him as Jarvan stopped disrobing entirely. Well, if it was a show he wanted… Challenge accepted. Time to prove he wasn’t quite as shy as his squadmates thought.

He approached Darius as he peeled off his gloves.

“Well if he needs a sit down, want to continue where we left off?” he offered. There was a small ‘hey’ from the bed but he and Darius made of point of ignoring Jarvan completely.

“Mm, I think we should,” Darius agreed, “Where were we again?”

“I remember.” Aphelios shot a mischievous smirk at Jarvan as he reached up to press kisses across Darius’ jawline. He felt strong arms encircle his waist, pulling him in close as their lips met in a heated exchange of tongues and saliva. Aphelios shuddered as he felt one large hand take hold of his ass. His hands worked at Darius’ clothing, clicks, snaps and clatters filling the air as they worked at the buckles and straps keeping their uniform in place. Without breaking a single sloppy kiss, Aphelios managed to open the front of Darius’ coat and undershirt, pushing heavy material off his shoulders as Darius yanked his collar aside to reveal the side of his neck. Aphelios shucked off his jacket as Darius used the grip around his waist to lift Aphelios off his feet. Wrapping his legs around Darius’ so he didn’t fall, Aphelios clung on tight, allowing the larger man to start sucking bruises into the unblemished side of his throat.

“You’re both bastards, you know that?” Jarvan commented, barely audible of the thump and crash of so much metal-plated fabric hitting the floor. However Aphelios wasn’t done being a bastard quite yet. Sure Jarvan had been in charge most of the day, but now it was his time to shine. He tugged at one of Darius’ horns mid-gasp, trying to get his attention. Darius raised an eyebrow at him, removing his lips from Aphelios’ just long enough for the latter to whisper:

“Sit down and I’ll show you how to make him beg.”

Darius’ eyes widened. Taking Aphelios with him, he backed off to the bed, leaving a trail of clothing in their wake. Jarvan was forced to scramble out of the way as Darius hit the bed with a creak of bedsprings, almost toppling over with Aphelios astride him. However Aphelios was already anticipating this change in position. He nimbly slid out of Darius’ grip and onto the plush carpet. Jarvan evidently thought it was his turn for he grabbed Darius by the horn and pulled him into another open-mouthed kiss. Aphelios watched them for a moment, before putting his plan into action. With a decidedly practiced motion, he undid the clasps of Darius’ belt, tossing it aside onto the trail of straps and buckles behind them. A few fastenings later, Darius had stopped kissing Jarvan to stare down at the sight of Aphelios between his thighs.

“May I?” Aphelios asked, palming at the rather enticing bulge in Darius’ grey shorts. Darius nodded without so much as a second thought. He helped shimmy his trousers down a little, giving Aphelios plenty of room to pull down the elastic of his boxers.

“Are you trying to torture me?” exclaimed Jarvan as Aphelios gently pulled Darius’ erection free from the restraints of his clothing. It didn’t surprise him that Darius was already half-hard.

“You wanted to watch us,” Aphelios reminded Jarvan, “So watch.”

Darius began to chuckle; however his laughter was quickly transformed into choked off moans as Aphelios began to stroke the cock in his hands to full hardness. He’d been right back at the shoot. Darius was big. Much bigger than he was. Much bigger even the son of the Dragon Goddess, who was probably the biggest Aphelios could remember taking, off the top of his head. Still, he wasn’t one to back away from a challenge- especially when he already had the man’s erection in his hand. He couldn’t help but marvel at the sight as he mapped out its length with delicate caresses from base to tip. There was just so much to touch, so much to feel, so much to taste…

Aphelios took a deep breath before locking gazes with Darius. Ever so slowly, he tasted the tip. Drawing a slight hiss from Darius as he wet the first few inches of his cock with long deliberate licks, up the length before swirling his tongue at the head, teasing forth beads of precum that would make his next move a little… smoother. He used the slickness of his own saliva to guide the head of Darius’ cock past his lips, along his tongue and towards the back of his throat. Sliding inch by inch into his mouth, he felt his lips strain a little with just how large the man was. But when had that ever stopped him? Remembering to breathe through his nose, he paused for a moment to suck on the girth already filling his mouth, a little drool escaping as Darius groaned. Yet his eyes never once left Darius’ as he slowly but smoothly pressed on, revelling in the fact that human cock tasted different, but somehow better, than any he’d had the pleasure of before. And the reactions? The choked off little groans, the twitches, the barely suppressed moans as he deep throated the entire cock before him, as he kissed that rough black hair at the base with his aching lips… Those were frankly divine. The way Darius’ composure, his imposing facade, was crumbling because of him? That was somehow even more satisfying than being able to finally satiate his desire.

“Gods that’s obscene,” Jarvan gasped as Aphelios swallowed around Darius’ entire length without so much as a gag or a splutter. He reached forward and gently touched one of Aphelios’ cheeks, feeling how much of Aphelios was filled with cock right now. Aphelios humoured him, hollowing his cheeks the best he could and tilting his head so Jarvan could see the line of Darius’ cock inside of him.

“Fuck,” Jarvan stated, as if that was all that could be said about such a sight. Aphelios could hear him fumbling with his belt and zipper as he returned his attention to Darius. The man seemed to be incapable of complete words at that moment. He cupped Aphelios’ face with one large hand, gently lifting him up and off, watching as his cock slipped back through his lips glistening with saliva with eyes dark with hunger. He pulled halfway out before his expression turned hesitant, no, questioning. As if he knew what he wanted but wasn’t sure whether to ask. Judging by the way he was eying Aphelios’ mouth, and the slight movement of his hips however, Aphelios was pretty sure he knew what Darius wanted. Aphelios gave him a little nod, moaning slightly as Darius slowly thrust himself back inside.

Jarvan made a choked little noise, as if he was the one with a mouthful of cock, as he slipped off the bed and down to Aphelios’ side. He was definitely stroking himself as he reached forward to curiously kiss Aphelios’ cheek, and through it, Darius. Aphelios felt his jacket being drawn off his shoulders as Darius began to move a little more. Darius could be much rougher with him. The man could probably fuck his face hard enough to bruise. Aphelios could and would take that. However the fact he was gentle made this situation even more lust-inducing than it already was. Even through his desire, even through the urge to chase his own pleasure, Darius was slow, patient, revelling in long languid thrusts as Aphelios licked and sucked at the length he was given. He did not grab or pull, combing his fingers through Aphelios’ hair, occasionally gripping his horns, but never in a way to force him into action. He stroked Aphelios’ face with leather clad fingers. It felt affectionate, like a compliment in a way, and this quiet admiration was quickly turning Aphelios’ thoughts to mush. Jarvan was making short work of his clothing, kissing and licking up the lines of the tattoos up Aphelios’ back. Aphelios briefly gave Darius some respite as Jarvan tried to pull his top over his head. He freed himself from the clingy red fabric before going back to the task at hand. A slight moan escaped him, vibrating around Darius’ cock as Jarvan reached round to toy with the ring piercings in each of Aphelios’ nipples. The slight tugs on each only served to send more blood rushing south. His trousers now painfully restrictive as he felt Jarvan abandon his own attempts to jerk off, to play with every inch of Aphelios he could get his hands on. Aphelios found himself squirming where he sat as Jarvan pressed up against him, one hand clutched at his chest, the other unzipping Aphelios’ trousers, providing some much-needed relief as he too was freed from the confines of his clothing.

Aphelios found himself kneeling in front of Darius as Jarvan’s erection brushed at his bare thighs. He parted his legs a little, just enough to Jarvan’s cock to slip through, allowing him to thrust up between his legs as Darius continued to push between his lips. Moaning in earnest, he felt Jarvan take him in hand as his thighs became wet with both their precum. Darius’ hips stuttered as he let out a grunt of

“Not going to…”

Aphelios pushed his head down, saliva dripping from his sore lips as he took Darius to the root once more. He sucked in earnest as Darius held him there, his grunts and groans getting louder and louder as his hips shuddered, his cock twitched heavy on Aphelios’ tongue. Behind him, Aphelios felt Jarvan’s thrusts speed up. Jarvan buried his face in Aphelios’ hair, gasping puffs of air down the back of his neck. Suddenly, Darius’ hips jerked upwards, jarring Aphelios’ throat as Darius let out a long low moan. Ready and waiting for it, Aphelios swallowed hard. He closed his eyes as what space was left in his mouth was suddenly flooded with cum. He had no choice but to drink deeply, swallowing, suckling, until Darius became too sensitive to take anymore. He withdrew from Aphelios’ mouth, the last few spurts decorating Aphelios’ lips and cheek as Jarvan groaned at the sight of it all. His movements sped up until he too was spurting between Aphelios’ thighs, making his legs even stickier than they already were. For a moment, Aphelios thought he was going to be the only one left aching. Thankfully, Jarvan thought to speed up the movements of his hand too, tightening his grip even as he shuddered and moaned way through orgasm. Aphelios added his own hand over Jarvan’s, a few more pumps, a quick squeeze here and there before…. Finally. He leant his forehead on the side of the bed as he screwed his eyes shut, his moan muffled by the rich quilted fabric pressed against his mouth.

Needless to say he was now filthy. Covered in his, Darius’ and Jarvan’s spend, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He sank against the bed, feeling cum drip down his thighs and onto the carpet.

“Weird question,” Darius panting hard from where he had flopped backwards onto the bed, “Why…why am I still hard?”

Aphelios looked up at him through watering eyes. He was indeed still fully erect. Ah.

“What…” Jarvan gasped breathlessly, “After…after all that? Me-Me too.”

He was looking at himself. Aphelios followed his gaze down to his wet, yet still very erect, cock. Double ah. So was he come to think of it, but he was somewhat used to that. Judging by their reactions, this wasn’t normal for humans, though then again, if this was normal for gods he wouldn’t be as popular a partner back home as he was. However he hadn’t known that this could happen in this realm too.

Darius made a token effort of getting up and failed. Jarvan however turned to Aphelios, a questioning look in his eyes as if he knew this was his fault. Aphelios, who was still face-planting the side of the duvet, tried to rouse himself into sitting up. He held onto the bed for support as he pulled himself up, only to flop onto the duvet with the others.

“Bulls are often a symbol of fertility and-and male virility,” he offered as an explanation. Gods, his throat was sore. He only had himself to blame for that.

“What…” Darius replied, “You’re saying this…this is another of your… you did this?”

“This is a blessing?” Jarvan asked, gently rolling Aphelios over so he facing the ceiling like the rest of them. He wrapped his arms around Aphelios’ chest, encouraging him to sit with him as he took in the mess they’d made. Jarvan absent-mindedly started playing with one of the rings in his nipples again, making Aphelios whimper and moan.

“How long does it last?” Darius asked when it appeared Aphelios wasn’t going to answer.

“As…as long as you want it to,” Aphelios answered honestly. He could try to deny it but…well, they’d already figured it out.

“All night?” Jarvan asked, a note of excitement evident in his voice.

“Yes but…you might get sore,” Aphelios replied, “Though…I’d be up for as much as you can take.”

Darius sat up at that. He and Jarvan exchanged a long look.

“I think it’d be unfair if you didn’t give us our blessed boy a bit of loving after that fantastic blow job,” Jarvan commented.

“For once, I agree with you,” Darius replied, “Where’s your supplies?”

Aphelios felt a bubble of excitement fill his chest as Jarvan pointed him towards his bedside table. Jarvan gently wiped away the mess on his face with a corner of bed’s throw.

“You ok with the both of us at once?” he asked Aphelios, “Because I really can’t sit back and let you two have all the fun. I’ve _got_ to know what’s its like in that mouth of yours.”

Well, his throat was already sore, so why not?

“Sure,” Aphelios told him, smiling up at him as Jarvan kissed him affectionately on the top of the head, “How do you want me?”

“On all fours?” Jarvan suggested, “Gives us all plenty of room to spoil you properly.”

He seemed slightly obsessed with Aphelios’ tattoos and piercings. Aphelios certainly had no complaints. He let out little breathy noises as Jarvan continued to kiss down his neck, gently rolling one nipple between thumb and forefinger, watching how the golden ring there caught in the light. Aphelios turned to him, craning his neck to catch his lips in a kiss as Jarvan decided the temptation of the gold was too much. Taking each of Aphelios’ pecs in each hand, he gave a firm squeeze before rubbing circles into the skin around his nipples – leaving him moaning into their awkwardly-angled kiss. Jarvan’s touch was firm, tracing each line of his torso, sneaking in the occasional grope to his chest, thighs and ass. Occasionally he would idly flick one of the rings in his nipples as his fingertips glided past, making Aphelios cry out and grind back against him. And Jarvan had called him a tease! Accused Aphelios of torturing him! Oh gods, what was this then? His piercings weren’t supposed to be used as handles! Yet every little pull, every pinch and tug… he was panting hard as he squirmed, so very hard and wanting.

“Is being ridiculously attractive another one of your blessings?” Jarvan murmured against Aphelios’ lips. A firm pinch had him gasping as he tried to reply:

“That’s…that’s all me.”

Darius returned to the bed with a pump-action bottle of lube. He held up the colourful bottle and then looked pointedly at Jarvan.

“Pina Colada flavoured?”

“It was a gift,” Jarvan explained, still making Aphelios whine and moan with his hands, “Works perfectly well. Now get over here before I decide to keep Aphelios all for myself.”

“Don’t I get a say in that,” Aphelios mumbled as Darius re-joined them, finally freeing him from the assault upon his chest. He rolled over onto his hands and knees as Jarvan requested before he got distracted. It felt like Darius was still wearing his gloves as he took a handful of his ass, making Aphelios shudder. Jarvan shuffled forwards a little, as if loath to let go completely. He smoothed his hands down Aphelios’ arms, stroked his cheek before leaning down to kiss him once more.

“You ok with this?” Darius asked as a pair of slippery fingers slid between Aphelios’ cheeks. Aphelios couldn’t deny the way his breath hitched in excitement, his back arching a little as he felt one of Darius’ fingers circle his rim, cool and wet against his heated skin.

“Please,” Aphelios gasped. He was absolutely ok with this. He’d already experienced just how large Darius was – explored that fact quite thoroughly some might say. He had never been more ready to take a man, desperate for it in fact, pleading to experience that much cock inside of him. And of course it wasn’t just going to be Darius’. Remembering what Jarvan had said, he glanced up at him, even as he felt the cold squirt of lube against his twitching entrance. Darius worked the faintly coconut scented fluid into his rim, fingertip occasionally breaching his entrance, making Aphelios keen with every little stretch, encouraging him to go that bit deeper. As Darius obliged, slowly sinking one finger into him, massaging his insides, Aphelios licked his lips and sighed.

“I thought you wanted my mouth,” he reminded Jarvan, gesturing him even closer as he felt his hips move almost on instinct, pressing back on Darius’ finger which had now become two slick digits, getting him nice and wet and ready for what was about to come.

“I do,” Jarvan seemed unable to tear his gaze away from the sight of Darius working Aphelios open, not making any move to fulfil that promise. Suit himself, Aphelios chose to focus instead on the fingers prying him apart, preparing him slowly, as deeply as Darius could reach, and the stretch… Damn it he needed more! Darius’ fingers felt amazing, so much bigger and his own and able to reach so much further, but they truly weren’t what he needed right now. Slow was torturous when his nerves were already so electric with pleasure. He needed to be filled now and not with fingers.

“More,” he begged Darius, “Please. I can take you.”

He reached one hand back to grasp at his own cheek, parting himself to show just how much he wanted this. There was an obscene squelching sound as Darius removed all three of his fingers, a generous amount of lube slipping from Aphelios’ entrance and running warm down his taint and balls. That didn’t stop Darius covering himself in more lube as he lined up the head with Aphelios’ now wet and glistening entrance. Aphelios closed his eyes as Darius took hold of his hip, keeping him from pushing back too hard as he pressed his head inside, punching a little groan out of Aphelios that swiftly turned into a long keening moan.

The first few inches were easy, one smooth slow thrust that had Aphelios drooling at the stretch and the slow rub against his sensitive insides. Darius’ fingers had prepared him for the initial stretch but his fingers could only reach so far, prepare him so deep. Darius was forced to pause, halfway inside him, the grip on Aphelios’ hip so strong it was bound to leave fingernail shaped bruises on his pale skin.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Darius hissed, “You’re tight.”

“Yes…” Aphelios moaned. He felt so split open, so full, it was bliss. And that wasn’t even all of it yet! He pushed back the best he could, taking in another inch and making Darius groan. His inner walls were clenching around the weight inside him, clinging on as if unwilling to let that glorious sensation go. Darius shifted slightly, his cock moving inside Aphelios and creating delicious friction. Aphelios let out a little keen, a lustful begging noise that had Darius pushing in once more. Creating more of that wonderful movement that brushed against all the best places. The slide of Darius’ cock was rubbing ever so slowly against his prostate, drawing moan after moan out of Aphelios as his head span, his vision blurred and his cock leaked onto the covers below.

Aphelios’ thighs were trembling by the time Darius’ balls brushed against his ass cheeks. Shivers were coursing up Aphelios’ spine as he was robbed for words. Feeling as if he’d been impaled to the core, he let out little moans, panting for breath as it seemed Darius too needed a moment to compose himself. Trying to get his thoughts in order seemed hopeless. His nerves were prickling with the pleasure of it all, making him shake as he licked his lips again, trying to rouse himself to speech. Yet it wasn’t happening. Instead, he felt the tip of another cock brushing against his lips and tongue. Suddenly Aphelios remembered that Jarvan was there too. Wordlessly, he sucked on the head, willing his breath to even out as he lapped at the cock now pushing into his mouth. Jarvan and Darius were both saying something but Aphelios’ thoughts had zoned in entirely on being filled from both sides. Though not as thick as Darius, taking the entirety of Jarvan’s length was also no easy task, especially when so distracted by the sensation of Darius ever-so-slowly withdrawing from his ass. The following thrust back in felt like a punch to the gut, but in a wonderful nerve-screaming sort of way. Darius’ patience was seemingly at an end. He took Aphelios by the horn as he began to slam short hard thrusts to his insides. Forcing choked off moans, muffled by Jarvan’s cock, to escape Aphelios as he rode the sensation in earnest, pushing back against every swift stab against his inner walls. The air around them was thick and heavy with the scent of sex. Aphelios wasn’t sure whether to press back into Darius’ thrusts or lean forwards to take more of Jarvan’s cock into his mouth. It was just easiest, and no less pleasurable, to let them have their way with him. Coordination seemingly impossible with the pace the others were setting, he let Jarvan guide his cock back into his mouth - sucking the best he could as Darius sought to make him scream. Jarvan started shallowly thrusting into his mouth, making Aphelios’ eyes roll at the force from both ends. His cock was hard and leaking, bobbing with every hard thrust and practically begging for relief. Aphelios knew that if he tried to take himself in hand, lost a single point of support against his squadmates harsh fucking, he was absolutely going to fall face first onto the covers. He had no choice but to get off on the sensation provided by the two men filling him.

They made it all too easy for him. Jarvan reached down to toy with his nipple piercings once more, even as he ground his cock against Aphelios’ tongue, down into the back of his throat. Darius eventually took mercy, taking Aphelios in hand, jerking his cock with such a firm grip that Aphelios began to cry with the intensity of it all. It took three punishing pumps of Darius’ fist to finally have him scream for all the room to hear. Jarvan withdrew, letting him gasp and cry out as his arms gave in, sobbing as he came all over the duvet. Jarvan let out a low ‘unh’ above him, and that was all the warning Aphelios got for the thick ribbons of cum that splattered across his hair and shoulders. Somewhere in the middle of all that – Aphelios was too busy twitching through the aftershocks of his own orgasm, half conscious and not entirely aware of where he was, Darius pulled out. Perhaps he’d tried not to make more of a mess of Aphelios, perhaps he hadn’t. Yet as Aphelios tried to curl in on himself, he released hot and heavy against Aphelios’ upturned backside, painting him in thick spurts, adding his release to the mess of lube and sweat already there.

“Holy shit…” Jarvan gasped, sinking onto his now very dirty bed. Darius helped Aphelios rearrange himself into a more comfortable position, laying them beside Jarvan with a murmur of:

“We’re still hard.”

Aphelios made a noise somewhere between ‘wait’ and ‘why’. Wasn’t two orgasms enough to send them to sleep? He could easily drop off like this but… _Try everything once_ echoed through his befuddled thoughts. He’d definitely tried this once; he’d tried it twice now! Maybe the third time was the charm? Maybe it would take three orgasms to finally knock his squadmates out? They were only human after all….It had been a while since he’d tried to marathon sex like this but well, he hoped they weren’t going to make him stand or kneel any time soon because his legs felt like they had been turned to jelly after that very thorough fucking. Could he at least have a little break before they tried again?

Dawn came before they were quite finished. Aphelios’ voice gave out before his stamina did. Round Three thankfully didn’t require him to support himself that much. Jarvan decided to ride his cock as Darius stopped acting like Jarvan was an annoyance and decided to suck him off. Round Four came before Aphelios had really pieced together that Round Three had ended. They ended up making a better Jarvan sandwich then. With Jarvan getting his turn with Aphelios’ cum-covered backside, as Darius treated him to the same brutal pace that had so wonderfully robbed Aphelios of conscious thought. Aphelios almost passed out under the thorough pounding Jarvan gave him, enjoying every second even as his body twitched and finally collapsed against the pillows. He wasn’t up to much but sleepy moans as Jarvan released inside of him, crying out as Darius took the last of his pleasure. If anything happened after that, Aphelios wasn’t conscious enough for it. He expected that his ‘boon’ might wear off once he had fallen asleep. Nothing proved to the contrary as he felt one of them try to manoeuvre his limp form under the soiled duvet. Surrounded by strong arms and the faint smell of coconut, Aphelios finally let sleep take him. Thinking about all this was tomorrow’s problem. For now…now he was achy but content.

* * *

**BRRRRRRRRRRR**

**BRRRRRRRRRRR**

**BRRRRRRRRRRR**

“Fuuuck,” Jarvan groaned. Aphelios whined into his arm as the man he was cuddling tried to get up to find his phone. Jarvan fumbled noisily with the pile of clothing beside the bed before falling back onto the mattress with a loud thump. Aphelios, who had momentarily lost his source of warmth, rolled back over so he could continue using Jarvan’s chest as a pillow. Wait….why were his nipples so sore?

“Damned phone” Jarvan cursed, checking his phone as Darius groaned his way into wakefulness on Aphelios’ other side.

“What time is it?” Darius muttered, feeling around for his phone and clearly giving up. He slumped back onto the covers, gripping at his head with yet another low groan. Aphelios had no idea what time it was. He also wasn’t quite sure how his legs worked at the moment, so decided to trust Jarvan to sort this all out. He was tapping at his phone with what looked like great purpose.

“Yeah hi,” Jarvan groggily addressed the bottom of his phone, “Who is it?”

There was an explosion of noise that had all three men in the bed wincing and clutching their horns.

“Who is it?!” shouted Fiora, “Who is it?! We are the ones who should be asking questions here! Where have you been? Do you know what it is?”

Jarvan glanced at the top of his phone screen.

“It’s only… one thirty pm…”

“What?!” Darius exclaimed, sitting up so fast he sent a pillow flying across the room.

There was a loud high-pitched giggle from the other end of the call.

“Is that Darius I hear?” Miss Fortune laughed, “My my. Fiora, you owe me three drinks now.”

“You jump to too many conclusions,” Fiora told her, “I owe you one drink.”

She focussed her attention back on the intercom.

“Do you have Aphelios with you?” she asked, “Alune has been ringing us non-stop for hours.”

Oh damn it. Finally roused to action, Aphelios was forced to leave the warmth of Jarvan and work out where the hell his communicator and phone had ended up. Yet as soon as he tried move from his sitting position, as soon as he tried to crawl to where he remembered his clothes being, a shooting pain coursed up his spine, making him yelp and fall back onto the covers. It was a lot of pain, even the act of yelping proved agonising. He looked up at Jarvan, clutching his throat as he tried to get the words out, tried to explain the problem he was having. However all he managed was a very painful raspy cough. His voice! His voice was gone!

“He’s with us,” Jarvan told her, “We all got way too drunk at the shoot last night and crashed at my place. We’re just recovering and…lost track of time.”

“Then why does it sound like you and Darius are in the same bed?” Miss Fortune replied slyly, “Is Aphelios squashed in there with you?”

“We’re on the sofa,” Jarvan lied, “Just…give us some time to get our acts in gear. We’ll…meet you at the temple, just…we’ll join you in a bit.”

Fiora let out an angry huff.

“You are not on your sofa!” she retorted angrily.

“How would you know?” Jarvan asked, gripping his head as he winced at her volume.

“Because we’re in your living room,” Miss Fortune stated cheerily, “So why don’t you big boys get in here before I take a fancy to your silverware.”

“How the- _what the fuck_?”

Jarvan tossed back the covers, tried to leap out of bed, before immediately staggering into the nearest wall.

“Don’t you dare touch my silverware, you- What the fuck? You broke into my _house_?!”

Miss Fortune merely laughed as Jarvan began to stumble around his room. He opened a door, found it to be the ensuite, closed it again, tried the next door along and managed to find a robe in the closet there.

“Stay there. Sit down. Don’t touch anything!” Jarvan ordered, “I’ll…we’ll be there in a moment. I have CCTV in there, I’ll know if a single spoon goes missing!”

“Well, there’s no rush if you’d rather spoon with your-“

Jarvan didn’t let her finish. He hung up on their squadmates as he wrestled on the dressing gown. He shot a look at Darius and Aphelios, who had yet to move from his bed.

“Your bedroom,” Darius reminded him, “Your home.”

Jarvan looked like he wanted to smack him. However Darius merely slumped back onto the covers with another groan of:

“Go get them PR guy.”

Aphelios was helpless to do much of anything except watch him stomp out of the room. He considered trying to ask Darius to help him find his phone, move, something. However Darius was already one step ahead. He fished both their trousers off the floor and handed Aphelios his phone.

“Have fun explaining this to your big sis,” he stated, “I’ll go get you some water.”

Aphelios nodded thankfully before staring down at his phone screen. Six missed calls. Twenty-eight new messages. Oh Bull God have mercy! Sexual experience he had – who didn’t want to fuck around with the fertility gods? However, what experience he decided lacked, was explaining his actions to an undoubtedly very angry Alune. An irate Alune who, for some strange reason, still clung onto the notion that her brother was the paragon of innocence. Despite how many other godlings he’d slept with. Aphelios stared at his phone as if it were some venomous creature that was about to lash out and bite him.

Well…

Oh hell. He didn’t even have a voice to explain himself with. He was going to have to text! As if on cue, Darius returned to press a glass of water into his hand. Aphelios gulped down the water eagerly, desperately hoping that would return something of his voice.

Well…

Aphelios pulled up his sister’s number with slightly trembling fingers.

Well.

You had to try everything once after all.


End file.
